Can-opener.



No. 811,894. PATENTED FEB. 6, 1906. L. ALDEN, JR. CAN OPENER.

APPLIOATION FILED JULY 10,1905.

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LOUIS ALDEN, JR, OF BRYN MAVVR, PENNSYLVANIA. CAN-"OPENER".

No. 81 1,894, Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 10,1905. Serial No. 268,899.

Patented Feb. 6, 1906.

T0 (LZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Louis ALDEN; Jr., a citizen of the United States, residing at Bryn awr, in the county of Montgomery and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Can-Opener, of which the following is a specification.

he invention relates to improvements in can-openers.

The object of the present invention is to simplify and improve the construction of to provide an inexpensive device designed for use on all kinds of cans and adapted to be readily applied to the same and capable of enabling a can to be readily opened.

ther object of the invention is to improve the construction of that class of canopeners having a wire soldered in a severed portion of a can-and to enable such a wire to be soldered to the severed portions of a can wit greater ease and rapidity than heretocircular or any other shape to provide a removable portion or section of any desired configuration. The groove, which has 0011- verging side walls, forms a seat for'asevering or unsealing wire 3, which is constructed of flexible material and which is soldered in the groove, the solder 4 being applied while the cap 1 is inverted. The severing or unsealing wire is provided at one end with a key 5, con sisting of a handle and a shank, and provided at one end of the latter with a perforation 6, through which the wire is passed, the attached terminal of the wire being artially coiled around the key for securingtlie latter to the wire. The key is adapted to be rotated in the usual manner for winding the wire around the shank, and as the wire is wound upon the key it severs or unseals the portion 7', which is inclosed by the annular groove. in order to facilitate the severing or unsealing operation, the inclosed portion is partially severed from the surrounding portion 8 at the apex, as clearly shown at 9 in Fig. 3 of the drawings, the cuts being terminated at intervals to provide short integral connecting portions 10, which support the removable closed portion in position while the solder and the wire are being applied, thereby greatly facilitating the manuiacture of the can-opener. By severing portions of the can in this manner the receptacle may be uickly and positively unsealed with but litt e effort, as the wire is adapted to readily cut through the soft solder and through the short integral connecting portions. In ractice three short connecting portions will be ample to support the remova le portion 7, and whenopening the can only two of the connectin portions need be severed unless it is desira le to remove the portion 7 entirely from the can. When one of the unsevered portions is left uncut, it will provide convenient means for connecting the portion 7 tothe can and will form a hinged joint for enabling the part 7 to be conveniently swung "upward and downward for opening and closing the can. "When the solder is applied, the severed portions of the can are hermetically sealed, as will be readily understood. The wire, which is arranged on the inner face of the can-cap, has its attached end arranged exteriorly of the can, so that the key may be applied to the wire by thread ing the exteriorly-arranged end through the perforation 6 of the shank. A key in practice is designed to be provided for each can With these and other objects in view the invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arran ement of parts hereinafter fully described, il ustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claim hereto appended, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size, and minor details of construcion within the scope of the claim may be from the spirit resorted to without departing or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 isa perspective view of a can-cap provided with a can-opener constructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is a reverse plan view of the can-cap showing the same efore the wire is Fig. 3 is an enlarged transverse sectional view through the severed portion of the can-cap. Fig. 4 is a similar view through one of the unsevered portions of the, can-cap. Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of the wire and key. Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail perspective view of a portion of the can-cap, illustrating the construction of the groove and the integral connecting portions.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

1 designatesa can-cap having a ll-shaped annular groove 2 stamped in it from its inner face; but the groove may be formed in any other portion of the can and may be either and is applied to the severing or unsealing stam ed in it, the metal being severed at in wire when it is desired to open a can; terva s at the apex of the groove to form in- It will be seenthatas the groove is V- tegral connecting ortions, and a severing or shaped and the wire is round the latter will unsealing wire soldered in the groove and t- 5 be spaced from the apex of the groove and ting a ainst the Walls thereof and spaced from the walls at the mouth of the said from t e apex of the groove and from the groove and that-this will provide solder-re- Walls at the mouth of the same to provide ceiving s aces, so that an effective seal Will solder-receiving spaces. result. so the V-shaped oove is ada ted In testimony that I claim the foregoing as 10 to permit a wire to vary in 'ameter wit out my own I have hereto affixed my signature aflecting the solderingi and sealing of a can. in the presence of two Witnesses.

Having thus fully escribed my invention, LOUIS ALDEN JR what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is- Witnesses:

15 In a can-opener, the combination of a re- J. W. MATLAGH,

ceptacle provided with a V-shaped-groove WALTER WELL 

